The invention relates to monomer compounds comprising several cationic groups. The invention also relates to a process for making these monomer compounds. The process is highly selective and prevents unwanted reactions leading to undesired structures. The invention relates also to polymers, including copolymers, comprising units deriving from said monomer compounds.
Polymers, and especially copolymers, comprising cationic units are useful in various applications. In formulations, for example in home care formulations, personal care formulations, or formulations used in oil-field industry, the cationic units may interact with other compounds, such as surfaces, surfactants or active ingredients, and provide specific properties. Various polymers and copolymers comprising cationic units are used. Some properties and/or structures of formulation can be tuned by using copolymers comprising several cationic units. Developing new monomers and therefore new polymers or copolymers allow developing new formulations with either environment protection improvements, or of course new properties or functions.
Copolymers comprising units that comprise two cationic groups (hereafter referred to as di-cationic units), and preparation thereof, have been described, and are used for example in personal care formulations such as shampoos, and in hard surface cleaning formulations. There is a need for polymers and copolymers comprising units that comprise at several cationic groups (hereafter referred to as poly-cationic units, for example di-cationic units, tri-cationic units or tetra-cationic units). Hence, there is a need for monomers comprising several cationic groups (hereafter referred to as poly-cationic monomers, for example di-cationic, tri-cationic monomers or tetra-cationic monomers), and for efficient processes for preparing them.
Poly-cationic monomers, and copolymers comprising poly-cationic units are described in published patent application WO 01/05920. This documents describes for example poly-cationic monomers having the following formula:
wherein                R1 is a hydrogen atom or a methyl or ethyl group;        R2, R3, R4, R5 and R6, which are identical or different, are linear or branched C1–C6, preferably C1–C4, alkyl, hydroxyalkyl or aminoalkyl groups;        m is an integer from 1 to 10, for example 1;        n is an integer from 1 to 6, preferably 2 to 4;        Z represents a —C(O)O— or —C(O)NH— group or an oxygen atom;        A represents a (CH2)p group, p being an integer from 1 to 6, preferably from 2 to 4;        B represents a linear or branched C2–C12, advantageously C3–C6, polymethylene chain optionally interrupted by one or more heteroatoms or heterogroups, in particular O or NH, and optionally substituted by one or more hydroxyl or amino groups, preferably hydroxyl groups;        X, which are identical or different, represent counterions;        
The poly-cationic monomers describes in this document are prepared by a process according to the following schemes:



The reaction schemes described in that document are not highly selective. Presence of undesired products may alter polymers or copolymers properties and therefore alter properties in a formulation comprising said polymers or copolymers. Purification steps of product obtained by this reaction scheme may be either expensive or difficult.
The invention provides a new process which is more efficient (as purity, selectivity, and yield balance). It provides new poly-cationic monomers that are particularly useful in designing polymers or copolymers, and tuning properties and/or structures of formulations comprising said polymers or copolymers. It allows for example tuning interactions of said polymers or copolymers with other compounds comprised in the formulation such as surfactants, other polymers, and actives, or interactions with an application field of the formulation, such as surfaces, and compounds comprised in the formulation applications field). Such copolymers are particularly useful in home-care formulations (e.g. detergent formulations, hard surface cleaning formulations) or personal-care formulations (e.g. shampoos)